The adage that presentation is everything certainly rings true in the Middle East, from the smile on people’s faces to the shoes on their feet. But many would agree it is a person’s choice of threads that counts the most when making a first impression.
And while there are plenty of options at shopping malls and local tailors, when it comes to the fashion stakes, simply blending in is not always the best recipe for success.
This is where the increased interest in custom tailoring services come in.
Michael Andrews of Michael Andrews Bespoke is one of New York City’s most sought-after men’s tailors. He owns one of the largest custom clothiers in the Big Apple, and in the past 18 months has turned his company’s attention to the UAE market, where he has built quite a following.
“One of our first 50 clients in New York was a junior banker,” says Andrews. “He moved to Abu Dhabi six-and-a-half years ago, and spent five years trying to convince us to come out here.”
It took the former corporate attorney a while to be convinced, but once he arrived in Abu Dhabi, the gamble paid off.
“Our first sales day here, in November 2015 [around F1 time], was our largest day in company history,” says Andrews with a smile. “On four trips out here, we’ve done the same business as we had done in 12 trips to Washington.”
It was Andrews’s job in the legal field that piqued his interest in fashion and set him on the path to becoming a custom tailor.
“In my former life, I was a corporate attorney and had to wear a suit and tie to work every day,” he says. “I fell in love with the process of having my suits made but wasn’t finding exactly what I wanted.
“It occurred to me that I couldn’t be the only person who was looking for what I wanted.”
So, he started taking tailoring classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. After learning his trade and finding and approving the right tailors, he launched Michael Andrews Bespoke in 2006.
One of the company’s suits. Courtesy Michael Andrews Bespoke
Eleven years on, the man who has 75 suits of his own, give or take a few, has one of the most renowned tailoring businesses in New York, dresses Wall Street luminaries, Fortune 500 chief executives and has been responsible for costumes for characters in TV shows Daredevil, Iron Fist and White Collar.
He now makes quarterly visits to the UAE, where fashion-minded men consult with his team to develop everything from a custom-made business or travel wardrobe, to one-off outfits for special occasions.
“There’s definitely an appetite for [bespoke],” says the company’s head of operations, Cory Sylvester. “Men, undeniably, over the past decade or two have become more style conscious. There are a lot of choices in bespoke – there’s not a lot you can’t do.”
Andrew and his team have two partners in the UAE – one Emirati and one expat – and they work closely with the St Regis Abu Dhabi.
“We have two local partners who have really been responsible for getting the word out in the local market, and as we have grown and are expanding our base we’re trying to develop partnerships like we have with St Regis,” says Andrews, adding that the hotel brand offers them great support.
Creative director Charles Dean Bakes says the hotel brand has similar values to their own.
“They take care of what they do and I think we put the same effort into the clothing we create and the clientele that we have,” he says.
And while you might think the New York and UAE markets would be entirely different, that is not the case.
“It’s actually not nearly as different as perhaps I would have expected coming in,” says Andrews. “People really relate to the fact that we’re a New York-based brand and are really interested in what people are wearing on the global market.”
He says in fashion terms the world today is very similar, particularly for men, wherever you live, whether it is New York, London, Paris, Tokyo or Milan.
“Trends overall are very similar, but globally the market is moving toward much more casual, softer construction very Neapolitan in its style … there’s a trend overall toward athleisure,” he says.
As for local considerations, Andrews says there are two.
“Expats tend to wear their suits, whereas the Emiratis are in national dress, so they’re buying for travel,” he says. “They don’t need the same rack of suits, they’re often looking for something more luxurious because they’re wearing it more for a special occasion.”
The fact that we are in the desert, doesn’t seem to affect buying choices, he adds. As for trends, Sylvester says casual separates are popular here.
“Things like sports jackets for instance, because often times [Emiratis] will travel in things like that if they travel for business,” he says. “I think a lot of people think, ‘Bespoke, oh it must be suits,’ but the luxury of a bespoke wardrobe is that it shouldn’t be limited to just suits.” The only real difference is that here there is less call for silk.
“Aside from that it’s pretty much the same,” he adds.
Other custom-tailoring options
Ascots& Chapels
Various locations located throughout Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Bespoke, Fine Textile and Tailoring
The Gate Village, Dubai International Financial Centre
Knights & Lords
Al Fattan Shopping Center, next to Mövenpick Hotel, JBR-The Walk, Dubai
Stallion Bespoke
41st Street, opposite Al Fahidhi Souk, Meena Bazaar, Bur Dubai
• Michael Andrews Bespoke visits the UAE quarterly and the team is available for consultation in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from February 19-22. The consultancy appointment is free, and a US$1,000 trial suit fee (Dh3,673) is being waived for UAE customers. Expect to pay from $2,500 per suit with a short wait time between consultation and suit delivery. To make an appointment, email UAE@michaelandrews.com or visit www.michaelandrews.com/abu-dhabi for further information.
mhealy@thenational.ae
